After it All
by XinYi
Summary: Based on feverly's idea over on Tumblr. Five years after the Kou Empire's destruction, Hakuryuu's whereabouts are still unknown. So Alibaba sets out to find him.


The Kou Empire—No, it's called the Haku Empire now, isn't it; with Empress Ren Hakuei on the throne after the fall of the Kou family.

The Haku Empire, it has changed. Alibaba remembers the last time he stood within these walls, and a pang of sorrow twists in his chest. The last time he was here, he was here with Hakuryuu. The Kou Prince had been strong then, strong enough to lead an army to destroy his country. And Alibaba had stood by his side every step of the way, never faltering. He had watched the black rukh almost devour Hakuryuu's light, as everything went wrong, he had tried to stop him—but he couldn't. Hakuryuu had achieved his dream, but not without many, many sacrifices. The Empire had fallen, its citizens in chaos in the aftermath of the battle. And that was when Hakuryuu ran. Ran from the misery he caused, from the terror and death. From what he had done to his country, to his people. No one had seen him since. So without a choice, as the only surviving member of the royal family, Hakuei stepped up to the throne.

It has been five years since then.

Alibaba, now 27, has conquered three dungeons and rose as King of Balbadd, with Morgianna at his side not as a lover, but as a friend, and Aladdin as his Magi. But even with all he has to ask for given, he still misses something. He misses his best friend, his lover long since disappeared. Sometimes, in the dead of the night, he would lie awake. And he would remember; Hakuryuu looked at him, bloody and beaten up, on a battlefield of corpses. His expression was blank, as if he couldn't understand it. And as he looked around, eyes skimming over the wreckage; what lay before him was only death and destruction. It was then he realized what he had done. Terrified, disgusted with himself, he was distressed and helpless as tears streamed down his face. Without another glance at Alibaba, he turned and ran. And Alibaba let him go. Hakuryuu would find no solstice in a place marked with his evil and thoughtlessness. Alibaba prayed Hakuryuu would find somewhere, away from the prying eyes of others, to spend the rest of his life without such a heavy burden on his shoulders.

But it has been so long. Alibaba had not heard a single piece of information on Hakuryuu. He doesn't know if he was dead or alive. He was growing ever more worried, the anxiety becoming a crushing weight on his heart.

So with the memory of a childish promise, "_I'll always be by your side!_" from when they first met, he set out to find his missing prince. He left Balbadd in Morgianna and Aladdin's care, knowing they would take care of his country well, and he walked away.

Now he stands before the rebuilt Royal Palace in the Haku Empire, waiting to speak with their Empress. And Hakuei came, now adorned in the golds and reds of royalty, yet still with an inexplicable similarity to Hakuryuu. Beautiful as always, the Empress who brought her country back to its feet and ruled like no other, creating an empire flourishing with life. With his hands clasped together in greeting, he knelt before her.

As he rose, catching the almost sorrowful look in her eyes, he knew he would not find what he was looking for here. And as they spoke, his suspicions were confirmed. Hakuei had not heard of Hakuryuu either, and he can tell she missed her brother dearly. So he left, with gracious thanks to her. But he did not promise he would find her brother for her, and she noticed with sadness in her gentle features.

A year has passed, there was peace, however unstable, in the land still. But Hakuryuu seems to have vanished from the face of the earth. Alibaba did not give up. He had searched every major city in the Haku Empire and all surrounding countries, and he will search every town, every village, until his finds Hakuryuu.

Another year, and another. The peace seems to have settled in, no longer threatened with the countries' every move. Alibaba grew weary, but he kept going.

Pausing only slightly at the entrance to a small village on the outskirts of the Haku Empire, containing no more than 300 people; he took a deep breath, and stepped in. He asked everyone he passed, but none of the villagers had heard of anyone named Hakuryuu.

It wasn't until he asked a woman, with a young girl no older than five behind her dress, when he began to hope. The mother had not heard of Hakuryuu, but as he turned to leave, the little girl called him.

"Mister, I know Hakuyuu!" Hakuyuu? She must have misheard him.

"—He's really nice! And he has an ugly scar on his face!"

Scar, _scar_.

Hakuryuu, it has to be. Of course, he should have recognized the name Hakuyuu. Hakuryuu looked up to, practically worshipped his eldest brother. His death brought Hakuryuu nightmares, reminded him of his revenge. Using such a name, it was a trigger. So Hakuryuu would never forget his past, what he had done.

Hope coursed though him, and he could almost see the end of his long journey within reach. He asked the mother, and sure enough; Hakuyuu has a burn scar on the left side of his face, and one eye lighter than the other where the fire touched it as well.

It was night time when he found Hakuryuu's house, on the edge of the village isolated from everyone else. It took him five minutes to muster up the courage to knock. And when he did, he swears he could have died and gone to heaven. A man, the same height, if not slightly shorter than him stood in there, a wooden hand still on the door. His hair is longer now, no longer tied up in a gold ornament. His body is still lean, but not chiseled like before. He must have dropped his spear. And his face; a sunken scar covered the left side of his face, running down his neck and past his shirt, to how far down only Alibaba knows. His blue eyes, gorgeous blue eyes, one the colour of twilight, and the other the colour of the sky.

_Hakuryuu._

Alibaba thinks he's laughing, he thinks he's crying, he doesn't know or care. Because Hakuryuu is in his arms, clinging at his chest and sobbing his name. Because he holds Hakuryuu, as he has always done in the past, and he will never let go.

He found Hakuryuu.


End file.
